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The Importance Of Memory In The Giver, By Lois Lowry

Decent Essays

“Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.” This quote spoken by Holocaust survivor and author, Elie Wiesel show how dull and uneventful life would be without memories, and how they affect society. In the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry, the people living in the community do not experience memories and do not feel emotion. This relates to the utopian characteristic of sameness. Jonas, the protagonist, is given the job of receiver, and from that, obtains what the community cannot, memories. The Giver provides memories to Jonas, which drive him to become brave and stand up against the community. From memories, Jonas’s characteristics change. He becomes more independent and courageous. In the science-fiction novel The Giver, the importance of memory is shown by the lifestyle of the community and Jonas's disposition to the rules there, the effect memories have on Jonas, how sameness is impacted by memories To begin with, in the novel, the lifestyle is the community is the same for each member. They wear the same clothes by age, have the same birthday, receive the same gifts at each ceremony, and each get assigned a job at the age of twelve. The leaders of the community have "control of many things" as said when explaining the roles of the committee. Before Jonas is assigned as the receiver of memory, he lived his life as any other child did. One day, Jonas feels love for Fiona, his friend, and has to start

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